TIPS-tested Bickiepegs® Teething Biscuits - 2013

Between August and September 2013, we tested the Bickiepegs® Teething Biscuits.

I am delighted to bring you the final results of our latest one-off trial of Bickiepegs® Teething Biscuits. Our Testers were so impressed with this product we have decided to award it 2 awards: Clever idea and Editor's choice.Follow the links below to read all about this trial:

Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits are made with quality ingredients using a recipe developed by leading paediatrician Dr Harry Campbell in 1925. Dr Campbell wanted babies to have a biscuit that promotes exercise known to be vital for good teeth, jaw, and chewing skills. Bickiepegs are not intended to be eaten and do not form part of the child’s diet. They are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Recommended from the age of 6 months, Bickiepegs biscuits have been used in royal nurseries. They contain only three ingredients: wheat flour, wheat germ and water. Bickiepegs also manufacture the TIPS award-winning Doidy cup: another classic design ideal for all ages.Our Parent Testers liked the simple but effective design of the packaging which hinted at its trusted reputation. They were especially pleased that there was no added salt or sugar in the recipe although some did suggest that a variety of flavours or a gluten-free biscuits might be welcome. The biscuits were the perfect size for little hands and most parents agreed that the Bickiepeg biscuit kept their baby happy for long enough to distract them from their sore gums. All in all this classic teething biscuit was a hit with parents and babies alike and we are delighted to award the Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits not one but two TIPS awards: Clever idea and Editor's choice!

This is what some of the Testers said:

The biscuits look good and they are easy for baby to hold.

My baby seemed to enjoy the biscuits as they didn't go crumbly or soggy and he could still have a good chew on them.

My baby clearly enjoyed using them and I liked fact they attached to clothes with ribbons.

I liked the fact that they didn't make a mess and that they relieved his pain.

Please supply nine ribbons with the box as then I would use them more and buy again

Overview

When considering products for testing, I aim to source what I believe to be the best products on the market. Where such a product is quite unique, I will set up a one-off trial. Such trials have been carried out for: Kamillosan thermometer soother, Ella’s Kitchen baby foods, Shampoo Rinse Cup, Miracle™ Scarves, Miracle™ Bands, Dribblebuster® bib, SnoozeShade® and Swimava™ products.

The decision to undertake a TIPS one-off trial is based on a product’s specific feature. For the Kamillosan soother, this was using an everyday baby product (a soother) in an innovative way to achieve an unexpected result – in this case, taking a baby's temperature. For Ella’s Kitchen products it was the fact they were organic, free from all additives, foil-wrapped and could be incorporated into the family diet in many ways – this is quite unusual for baby food.

I decided to set up a this trial of the well-known and well loved Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits because they are made with quality ingredients using a recipe developed by leading paediatrician Dr Harry Campbell in 1925! Dr Campbell wanted babies to have a biscuit that promotes exercise known to be vital for good teeth, jaw, and chewing skills. Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits can also help ease the pain of teething. They are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Recommended from the age of 6 months, Bickiepegs biscuits have been used in royal nurseries. They contain only three ingredients: wheat flour, wheat germ and water.

Reviewing this product is also a good opportunity for Testers to find out more about the principles of weaning, especially baby-led weaning, as this happens around about the same time as baby's first teeth appear. When teething, babies often need to chew on something safe and nutritious. Bickiepegs biscuits and baby-led weaning help with hand eye co-ordination and with the development of chewing skills.

As a company, Bickiepegs support both breastfeeding and baby-led weaning to give Little Ones the best possible start in life.

Food itself is only one aspect of the feeding process. Comfort, security, closeness, bonding, sociability and self-confidence all develop through appropriate feeding practices (Trotter 2006). After all, eating is a highly social experience that should always be shared. It is possible to prevent children becoming ‘faddy eaters’ by encouraging good eating habits from the start and involving the whole family. Mealtimes don’t need to turn into a battleground.

Baby-led weaning

The importance of baby-led weaning for your babyBaby-led weaning is simply that: letting your baby decide what he wants to eat by letting him join the family at mealtimes. The theory is that if you offer your baby the same food as his siblings, but cut in shapes he can pick up, hold and put to his mouth, he will soon eat the same foods as them. No need to start with purees or cereals just normal food in bite-size pieces.

Apparently there is a ‘window of opportunity’ regarding baby-led weaning and I have to admit here that I missed it!

Baby-led weaning is based on the way babies develop in their first yearThis information is taken from the website www.baby-led.com

The Department of Health and the World Health Organization recommend that babies should have nothing but breastmilk (or formula) until they are six months old because their immune and digestive systems aren’t ready for other foods before that.

A normal, healthy six-month-old baby is able to sit upright, pick up pieces of food, take them to his mouth and chew them.

Babies will start to take food to their mouths when they are developmentally ready – when their immune and digestive systems are mature enough to cope with other foods and when they are physically able to get foods to their mouth. This is usually from six months onwards.

Although the current Department of Health weaning leaflet concentrates on mashed foods for babies, it also advises parents to allow their babies to feed themselves, using their fingers, as soon as they show an interest and to offer finger foods from the beginning. The difference with baby-led weaning is that they do it all themselves, with no need for spoon feeding (Rapley & Murkett 2008).

Baby-led weaning isn’t new

Many parents with more than one child have discovered baby-led weaning by accident when their babies simply helped themselves to food from someone else’s plate.

Parents have for many years been encouraged to give babies finger foods from six months to encourage them to develop chewing skills. However, most people assumed babies needed purees before they could move on to finger foods. But babies don’t prepare for chewing food by sucking puree from a spoon – the best way to develop chewing skills is to practise them.

Spoon feeding is simply unnecessary

There is no research to support spoon feeding as the best way to introduce solids for the majority of babies. It’s a practice left over from the days when everyone believed that babies needed more than breastmilk or formula at three or four months. At that age babies aren’t capable of taking food to their mouths themselves.

At six months most babies will begin to feed themselves finger foods if they are given the opportunity – there’s no need to spoon feed.

Don’t babies choke?

There is no more risk of choking with baby-lead weaning than with any other method of introducing solids. A normal, healthy six-month-old baby is able to sit upright, pick up pieces of food, take them to his mouth and chew them.

Adults and children are more likely to choke if someone else is feeding them and they can’t control what goes into their mouth – with baby-led weaning the baby is in control.

Methodology

For this trial we sent out ten packs of Bickiepegs® Teething Biscuits to parents with children aged six months to ten months of age, who were suffering from sore gums due to teething.

Guidelines for Testers (this was provided to all Testers who took part)

How to test the Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits

Ten Parent Testers with babies aged 6 months or older are taking part in this trial.

Please read on and let your baby try using the Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits at least 7 times before completing the questionnaire. By then, you will be able to give detailed comments on the product, telling us about what works and maybe what doesn’t work so well for you and your baby. ________________________________________***Safety first***Read the safety instructions provided with your Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits carefully. They advise:

do not use if your baby has an intolerance to wheat

check each biscuit to make sure it has not been damaged in transit

thread the ribbon through the hole and attach to baby’s clothes – NEVER around their neck

do not dip the biscuit into any sweetener

you may wish to hold the biscuit for your baby to gnaw

give your baby no longer than 20 minutes with a Bickiepegs biscuit and then discard (do not reuse)

Bickiepegs biscuits are meant to be eaten. They are not part of a child's diet

NEVER leave your baby alone with a Bickiepegs biscuit

NEVER put your baby to bed with food

_______________________________________

Completing the questionnaireThere are four sections in the questionnaire:

The product: in this section we ask about the design of the product and quality of information provided online and on pack.

Use of product: this includes questions about ease of use; implications for enjoyment; comparison with other teething products; and questions about its safety.

Feedback: in this section you will be asked to comment on your favourite features, suggest improvements, and whether you believe it provides good value.

Awards: in this section you can suggest an award for the product you have tested.

ConclusionAs you can see, there are many aspects to assess when testing this seemingly simple product. A good baby food product should:

ideally be organic and free from any artificial additives or preservatives

be a rich source of safe nutrition

taste good

be easy to incorporate into a well balanced diet

be reasonably priced, and

above all provide fun and stimulation for your baby as they learn to feed themselves.

This can only be achieved when manufacturers use top quality ingredients and pay close attention to detail in all aspects of the manufacturing process. I hope you will find these guidelines useful as you test Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits.Thank you again for all your hard work. You can be sure that your independent testing and comments will be an extremely valuable source of unbiased advice for other parents.Kindest regardsSharon Trotter - Founder and Director of TIPS Ltdsharontrotter@tipslimited.com

Disclaimer. TIPS Ltd is not responsible or liable for any failings of products that have been submitted for the testing programme. The responsibility remains with the individual manufacturer. Research is constantly changing and whilst every effort is made by TIPS Ltd to ensure the information contained in the guidelines is accurate and up-to-date, parent testers must still be encouraged to seek the advice of their midwife, health visitor, lactation consultant or GP if they have any concerns.